One of my all time favorites.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Absolutely Fantastic

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

FROM BEIJING WITH LOVE is a fun and low budget scattershot spoof of the James Bond films, Hong Kong style. It's an outing for star, writer, and director Stephen Chow, who brings his quirky eccentricity to all three roles: this is the type of film that can have cheesy romance in one scene, violent death and murder in the next, and mix it up in a plot absolutely chock full of humour from film references to slapstick to some quite surreal moments.Chow plays an ordinary butcher from the mainland who has a second life as a secret agent. When a dinosaur skull is stolen (this film came out after JURASSIC PARK) he is tasked with tracking it down, beginning a fraught relationship with female aide Anita Yuen (who is very good). The twosome face internal conflict and lots of low rent action scenes, most of which are rather funny. There's a Jaws clone and Pauline Chan as a hot femme fatale. The low budget is very apparent in the staging and occasionally in the special effects, but overall the film works very well indeed and I had something of a ball with it. Sure, it's not as polished as the bigger budgeted likes of SHAOLIN SOCCER and KUNG FU HUSTLE, but it always entertains.

To Western eyes, Stephen Chow's comedies are uneven. "Kung Fu Hustle" is clearly a masterpiece, but why is "Shaolin Soccer" considered so funny? "From Beijing with Love" is an early Chow effort that does work for both East and West, perhaps because the Bond and Star Wars scenes and pretensions that he parodies are so immediately recognizable.Westerners love violent films with massive body counts, but have a strong and somewhat contradictory aversion to the gore that would ensue in real life, so like most Asian action films, this one would require some heavy editing for Western release. The juxtaposition of death and mutilation with absurd comedy is not Hollywood's style. From Beijing with Love is definitely not for children. But there are some good laughs here for adult Bond fans with strong stomachs, especially those who remember the lamentable Roger Moore effort, "The Man with the Golden Gun." Worth watching, and the soundtrack is surprisingly good too.

Standard comedy about a wannabe spy who gets double crossed by his boss, except hes got a chopper (butcher knife) and knows how to use it!The plot is pretty thin, but this is still a funny movie, as are most of Chow's movies. Be sure to add this to any Stephen Chow marathons you might be hosting, otherwise, you can miss this one for another of his better films.

If you have ever watched a James Bond film and aren't all that particular about having a believable plot then you will more than likely find this to be a screamingly funny film. It sends up the genre and makes no apologies,from the over the top villain, to a 'Q' clone who borders on the insane,to a Femme Fatale of questionable allegiance this film has it all. A definite must see for anyone who likes a good laugh.